Apocalyptic Past
by KayVonMetz
Summary: Layla thought her past was far behind her until the outbreak began. Anger, heartache, lust, and confusion are just the cherry on top of the zombie sundae that has become her life. Please take time to review3


The snow came down in furious waves all over the already icy roads. Layla scooted closer to the steering wheel trying to get a better look at what was ahead. She hummed along to the radio, drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat. She could finally see the large neon Cheshire cat sign with the slight twinkling of the word 'open' underneath. Layla slowly eased into the driveway, parked, and made the slow torturous journey through the parking lot to the front of the shop. She slid across the deck muttering obscenities as she reached the door.

"We tried to call you, La! You didn't need to come in today. Shit, it looks like it's getting worse!" Nora called from behind the desk. Layla took off her leather jacket and shook out her long brown hair. Little ice crystals fell onto her knee high black leather boots. "Well, I'm here now. I highly doubt anyone is going to come out in this to get a piercing or ink today." Nora chuckled. "I don't know. We have some pretty hardcore clients here." Layla shook her head smirking and made her way to the backroom. The slow melodious buzz of a tattoo gun greeted her as she walked over the threshold. The owner, a large man with a gray handlebar moustache named Clyde, was straddling one of the tattoo chairs talking animatedly with an artist named Dick. Layla smiled as she watched Dick go to work finishing Clyde's back piece. Dick looked up with a bright toothy smile as he saw Layla. "What's up beautiful?" He winked in her direction, his green eyes sparkling with genuine delight. Layla quickly looked down at the floor blushing.

Dick stood up, removing his gloves before adjusting his old weathered fedora. "Have a look and tell me what you think." Dick said as he patted Clyde on the shoulder. Layla took a seat on the adjacent work bench and took a deep breath. This shop was her home. Sure she had a nice little studio in a decent area just outside of town, but it held no real value to her. It was just a structure where she slept and kept her belongings. Layla sat, lost in thought, as she traced her fingers around the edge of Dick's portfolio. There were still a few shots she needed to print and put in the album for him. She felt a strong warm hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" Dick asked. Worry was etched across his face. "I'm fine. I'm just dreading driving back home in all this crap." She lied. Dick sat close beside her on the bench. She felt her cheeks grow warm. "I don't really want you driving in this. You can bum a ride with me and crash at my place so you're not alone. I mean, only if you want to." He stuttered through the last line and gave her a nervous smile. Layla smiled back. "I would love that." Inside she was screaming from the roof tops. She looked up to see a boyish grin spread across his face. "Since we're going to be here for a bit why don't I finish up your sleeve? I already have it drawn up." He jumped up, grabbing Layla by the wrists, and flinging her into his chair. "Do I have a choice?" She chuckled. "Not at all." Dick winked back at her.

Layla watched intently as Dick worked his magic. It was a beautiful piece. The intricate weaving of the dream catcher and the bright consuming fire set off the rest of her artwork perfectly. He furrowed his brow, absorbed in his work. Layla looked him over. He was a very handsome man. His strawberry blonde hair was tucked messily into his fedora; his face had a boyish charm to it, that is, if it weren't for the long goatee he sported. Subtle jolts of bright blue and soft gray hues peeked up from under his black v neck tee shirt. Dick looked up and smiled at her. Layla quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in the little knick knacks randomly placed around his work station. She was sure he caught her. He let out a soft laugh. Layla spotted a tabloid on his desk. It was the kind of tabloid that wrote about improbable events like the majestic three headed baby. "Stuff like that will rot your brain. You know that right?" Dick gave her a grave look. "You know the army is trying to create a type of super soldier right?" He retorted. "They are fucking with Mother Nature. It won't end well."Layla rolled her eyes and left it alone. It wasn't worth wasting her breath. He would not be swayed. Layla quickly changed the subject. "What do you think of the new Monroe piercing?"

"It looks really good on you! I'm guessing Nora did it?"

"Yup, she's the best apprentice I've had so far." Layla gushed.

They continued their light banner until Clyde stepped in. He had already put on his large rubber boots and mahogany colored duster. "Let's close up shop before it gets even worse out there and we lose power." He grumbled noticeably irked by the lack of work. "No problem boss." Dick said giving him a two finger salute. "I already sent Nora home. I'm going to head out now and get the generator started up at my house. We have the grandkids this weekend." His face immediately softened at the mention of his grandchildren. "You guys good to lock up?"

"Absolutely, go take care of those grand babies." Layla said smiling. Clyde gave her a little nod and was out the door. "Looks like I will have to finish this up later." Dick said as he cleaned off the fresh ink from her forearm. Layla examined the tattoo closely. The flames were not fully shaded and the beads in the weaving of the dream catcher were still untouched. She smiled. "Whatever shall I do?!" She said in a mocking melodramatic voice. "I may never see you again!" Dick rolled his eyes as he placed a sterile gauze pad over the tattoo. "You're lucky you're cute." He pulled off a glove and tapped the tip of her nose with a half smirk. His shirt strained against his chest and shoulders as he stretched his arms above his head. Layla felt a chill go up her spine as she realized she would be going home with this exquisite specimen. She took a deep breath. "Let's get all this cleaned up so we can head out. If not we'll be snowed in here." Dick called over his shoulder as he busied himself with cleaning up his work station. Layla nodded and scurried off to make sure the lobby was in order.

There wasn't much to do in the lobby. No clients had shown up, so most of the shop lay untouched. Layla sat in the padded office chair and pulled out her phone. It was only 4pm. She half heartedly scrolled through her e-mails. There was nothing of real interest to be seen. Just as she was ready to put her phone down she heard the ping of a new text message. It was her best friend concerned about where she was, where she was staying, how she was getting home. She was such a mother hen. Layla gave a little smile and let her know she was fine and would be riding with and staying at Dick's that evening. Like a ton of bricks, Layla realized that she had no change of clothes, no toothbrush, no nothing to stay overnight with. She sat there fretting silently. "What are you so anxious about?" Dick asked as he pulled his faded black hoodie on. Layla hadn't even noticed that he had finished in back and had made his way directly in front of her and over to the coat rack. Layla shrugged. "You know how I am. I worry about every little thing." She said with a nervous smile. He grabbed her jacket and walked over to her as she stood up. She quickly shrugged it on, grabbed her black messenger bag, and slung it over her shoulder. "Ready?" Dick asked as he fished the keys out of his cargo pant pocket. Layla nodded and followed him out the door.

The snow was coming down harder than ever. It swirled in mini cyclones through the parking lot. Dick's truck was hardly visible from the front door. He confidently walked across the deck, taking two steps at a time down onto the frozen asphalt. Layla shuffled after him. She kept a death grip on the railings as she made her way across to the steps. As much as she loved snow, the slick sheet of ice and snow on the deck had become her mortal enemy. Dick chuckled. "Don't worry I'll catch you if you fall." He held his hand out to help guide her down the stairs. She took his hand and cautiously placed a leather clad foot on to the first step. They didn't seem nearly as treacherous as she had anticipated. She smiled and stepped down with her other foot. The ground slid from under her and she toppled head first down the steps. Dick jumped out in front to catch her. He fell on to his back and let out a loud 'umph' as Layla slammed on top of him, their heads colliding. Layla rolled off of him and started apologizing profusely. He sat up laughing hysterically. "You okay?" He asked gasping in between fits of laughter. Layla absently rubbed her forehead. She could already feel a large lump forming. Dick brushed her hair out of her face to get a better look. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. A hot flush spread across her face. She quickly sat up. "I fucking hate ice." She mumbled. "It looks like ice hates you too." He flashed a big smile and ruffled her hair. Layla shook her hair out and rolled her eyes. Dick helped her up, keeping a strong grip around her waist as they slid through the parking lot, giggling like little kids.

He helped her up into the cab of his old rusty ford truck. It was the first truck she had seen in ages that had a front bench seat. The worn weathered gray upholstery was ice cold yet extraordinarily soft to the touch. Layla pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of her jacket. Dick jumped into the cab. The icy unrelenting wind burst through the open door making Layla shiver violently. "Don't worry. This truck warms up pretty fast." She placed her cigarettes back in her pocket untouched. She could barely feel her hands. Operating a lighter would probably be a bad idea. Layla pulled her hands into her sleeves and wrapped her arms around her torso.

Dick revved the engine a few times before grabbing Layla and holding her to his side. Layla took a sharp breath. They had always greeted each other with a hug but this was much more intimate. She caught herself snuggling into his broad well muscled chest. She breathed in the intoxicating scent of his cologne mixed with a faint trace of tobacco. Her head swam. The air coming through the vents had already started to warm up. She felt Dick place his head on top of hers. He gave her a quick squeeze before kissing the top of her head. Layla pulled back and locked eyes with him. Her heartbeat began to race. Although she was still shivering a calm blanket of heat washed over her entire body. Without a second thought she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. He went rigid. Layla jumped and scooted to the other side of the seat in complete embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that. I'll drive myself home." Just as she was reaching for the door handle Dick grabbed her by the elbow and pulled himself close to her. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. Tears had already started to well up and spill over. Dick ran his finger under her eye, catching a few tears. He reached over her towards the door. This was it. He was sending her out on her own.

In one swift move he removed his finger from her chin using it to cradle her neck as his other pulled her up against him. She felt a jolt of electricity pass through her body as his lips met hers. It was the kind of kiss you only see in the movies. They melted into each other. Things began to heat up quickly. She was pinned against the door groping for the bottom of his shirt when a strong gush of wind shook the truck so hard it felt like it would overturn at any moment. They pulled away from each other. Dick smiled and gave her one last swift kiss before scooting back over to the driver's side. "To be continued?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "We'll see. We have to make it back to your place alive first." She giggled smoothing her top back down over her middle and zipping her jacket up.

He put the car in gear and cautiously got onto the main road. The snow was coming down so hard they could barely see 5 feet in front of the truck. The wind howled kicking up the dry snow onto the hood. There was not much of anything that could be seen on the road. Layla started bouncing her leg nervously. Dick took her hand and brushed his lips along her knuckles. "Relax; it's just a little snow." Layla scoffed. "You are insane." Dick smiled. "You know, I've been waiting for that kiss since the first time you walked through the doors of the shop." Dick said shyly. Layla was taken aback. Was he really blushing? "I'd like to make it a daily occurrence."

"Are you asking me to go steady?" Layla replied giggling. "Maybe I am." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, and whispered, "I'd love to be your steady." He released her hand and pulled her closer.

They drove in blissful silence for a few miles until the wind began to pick up again. It pushed the large ancient truck to and fro. Dick quickly yanked his arm from behind Layla and began to fight the steering wheel to regain control. The back end of the truck broke loose. "Shit!" Dick exclaimed. The truck swerved sharply to the right before correcting itself. Dick looked over to see Layla frozen in fear. "Are you okay?" She rubbed her forehead and let out a big sigh of relief. She smiled and gave a little nod. Just as she brought her attention back to the road, an odd shadow appeared out of nowhere. Dick slammed on the brakes. It was too late. A sickening crunch could be heard as the truck rolled over whatever creature had crossed their path. Dick quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door handle. Layla grabbed his sleeve and yanked his arm back shaking. "Please don't go out there! There is nothing we can do. We won't even be able to see what it was." Dick pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be quick, I promise."

Before she could say anything else he was out of the truck. Layla sat nervously looking out of her window. She couldn't see a thing. She made her way over to the driver's side, hoping she would be able to see where Dick was. A blood curdling scream rang from outside the passenger door. Layla jumped. "Fuck!" It was Dick. Layla hurriedly opened the passenger side door and pulled Dick up onto the seat. "Get us the fuck out of here now!" He yelled. Without hesitation, Layla stepped on the accelerator. She didn't get far until she fishtailed into a nearby parking lot. She slammed her hands on the steering wheel as the truck stalled out. "Son of a bitch!" she exclaimed.

A strange gurgling noise from beside her made her jump. Layla turned the overhead light on and shrieked. Dick was saturated in blood. It looked like a large chunk of flesh had been torn from his throat. There was no way it was a dog, and she had yet to see a bear around the area that would cause an injury that severe. His skin was already becoming clammy. Dick took a deep breath and started to splutter blood all over the windshield. Layla grabbed an old rag from the floor board and pressed it against the gaping wound. She started to sob. "It's going to be okay. We'll be okay." She continued this mantra for what seemed like ages. Dick leaned his head to the side to get a good look at her. His lips had blue hue to them. His eyes were cloudy and full of unshed tears. "I love you." He said looking into her eyes. He reached up to touch her face. His hands were cold as ice. Layla pulled Dick forward so he could rest his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair, choking back her tears. "I love you too." She kissed the top of his head. Dick let out one last raspy breath. His body went limp.

Layla gently pushed his lifeless body off of her lap and sat him up against the passenger door. His eyes had rolled back into his head, but his eyelids still remained open. She gently closed them before starting the truck back up. Layla sniffled and wiped her nose on the arm of her jacket. Just as she was about to put the car in gear she heard a faint groan. She swung her head around with a perplexed look on her face. There was no way he could be alive. His eyelids fluttered open. Layla screamed. His once beautiful green eyes had become two milky clouded soulless orbs. Layla desperately groped for the door handle behind her. Dick's body lunged forward snapping wildly. She leaned back and kicked him up against the door causing the side window to shatter. She managed to open the driver's side door and toppled out onto the frozen ground. She lay on her back gasping for air. What the hell just happened? What was that thing that inhabited Dick's body?

Without warning, her thoughts came to a screeching halt as Dick threw himself on top of her and began to claw his way up to her throat.


End file.
